Francesca Sanna’s The Journey is a beautiful, powerful book that delivers a timely message to readers. It describes the journey of a brave family who must flee from their home to escape a war. Francesca Sanna created this picture book after interviewing refugees in Italy. Educators can use this book to teach a variety of… Continue reading The Journey by Francesca Sanna
Tag: Inferring
These are our “go to” texts when we want readers to deepen their interpretations of texts.
16 Words: William Carlos Williams & “The Red Wheelbarrow” by Lisa Rogers and Chuck Groenink
We read this book during a poetry unit. I assigned students to Poet Clubs where they read and analyzed poems by a certain poet. One of the poets the students studied was William Carlos Williams. This lovely book was a perfect model for showing students how to infer the meaning of a poem and the… Continue reading 16 Words: William Carlos Williams & “The Red Wheelbarrow” by Lisa Rogers and Chuck Groenink
Auntie Luce’s Talking Paintings by Francie Latour and Ken Daley
Ken Daley’s illustrations in this book immediately grabbed my students’ attention. They wanted to know if Haiti really looked like the pictures. They were captivated further by Francie Latour’s story of a girl who travels from the United States to Haiti to visit her aunt, a painter. As she experiences the sights, sounds, colors, history,… Continue reading Auntie Luce’s Talking Paintings by Francie Latour and Ken Daley
The Fisherman & the Whale
In The Fisherman and the Whale, Jessica Lanan portrays the sad, yet inspiring story of an entangled whale and the boy and man who save him. This wordless picture book is filled with action and emotion. It creates endless opportunities for young readers to infer character actions, dialogue and feelings. I shared this book with… Continue reading The Fisherman & the Whale
Carmela Full of Wishes
She stared down at the dandelion in her hand.It seemed so much more importantnow that she knew it was a place to put her wishes. What if she made the wrong choice? Carmela is excited to accompany her older brother into town for the first time. Although her big brother isn't happy to have her,… Continue reading Carmela Full of Wishes
The Book Hog by Greg Pizzoli
I am a book hog, are you a book hog? This was the question posed to students as we began Greg Pizzoli’s new book, The Book Hog. Students quickly recognized the colors on the cover and the illustrations as being very similar to The Watermelon Seed, also by Pizzoli, and they were excited to dive… Continue reading The Book Hog by Greg Pizzoli
Mae’s First Day of School by Kate Berube
There’s a quiet to Kate Berube’s books that holds young listeners in a state of wonder. Mae is not going to school today, no matter what her mother, father, or other parents on the playground say to persuade her. But when she scurries into a tree to hide from the opening bell, she learns that… Continue reading Mae’s First Day of School by Kate Berube
Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech
Teacher Thoughts… You will fall in love with Louie and his family and friends as they come together to save Winslow, a sick, newborn donkey. Winslow connects all of the characters and caring for him helps them to work through difficult situations in their own lives. Once again, Sharon Creech creates vivid characters. Her descriptions… Continue reading Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech